Batman and Robin Blu-ray Director Commentary includes apology to fans

[PCiAM]

Originally Posted by Afrobean

And the dude is the director, not the writer.

Yes, some blame is due for him, but he's not the one that killed it. If the writing had been better, it probably could have been on about the same level as Batman Forever.

I agree. While Joel's Batman films are truly inferior, I think he's mostly a scapegoat. Sure, much of the content of the films rest on his shoulders as the director, but I don't think the abominations that were the last two films (and the temporary death of the Batman franchise) should be blamed solely on Joel. Of course since he's the director, he's the scapegoat, but some forget that Joel is a truly skilled director who's made some good films.

In fact, the bosses at Camp Warner should be more blamed for the fact. After Burton's two films, much of the audience complained that his films were too dark. That combined with Warner Bros. wanting the films to appeal more towards children for marketing purposes (action figures, marketing, etc), can be moreso blamed than Joel. The studio told him what they wanted, and he did it more or less. Sure, he didn't have to accept the job, but I'm sure it was a pretty hefty paycheck, something we all would have considered.

I just got done watching the making of Batman Returns documentary in which Tim Burton said he went into the studio bosses' office at Warner to pitch his next Batman idea (after Batman Returns had already been released) and the Warner Bosses subtly began encouraging him to take on other projects. Burton actually asked point blank "you guys don't want me to make another Batman?" The documentary also stated that a lot of kids left crying after Batman Returns--another reason WB wanted to lighten the material. Of course we all know it didn't work out, but Joel Schumacher gets most of the blame mainly just because he's the director. Sure, Joel can be blamed for not respecting the original comic material (maybe he never read them... he can't be hated for not being a Batman fan), but he pretty much delivered what the studio corporate bosses asked for.